Why are you quitting poker?

In reading the board here, I continue to come across posts from people who say that they have pretty much quit poker. I have never been a very active participant on this board, I don't and won't play online, and I've never been a KP-er. I also play limit as opposed to NL.

I am curious as to why so many are giving up the game (aside from the economy). I have noticed something of a decline in live poker as well. My theory (completely unproven, so I could very well be wrong), is that many people who frequent the poker boards have spent a lot of time studying the game, and know a lot about it -- pot odds, implied odds, starting hand requirements, observing the betting and folding patterns of opponents, picking good spots to bluff in, etc. Yet, for many, all of this knowledge doesn't seem to pan out with any degree of consistency at the tables. My own view is that dumb luck is a much bigger factor in the game than many people realized. A suited big slick is often trumped by idiots who call your raises with their 9-3 offsuit and proceed to flop trips, two pair or a full house. Combine that with a stubborness and an unwillingness to let go of a hand that is clearly beat, even though it is beat by garbage, is disastrous. A steady diet of these experiences could make anyone consider quitting the game.

In limit, I typically show a profit from month to month, because I'm not calling all-in bets or susceptible to spending the night building a bankroll only to lose it to a luck box on one hand. In order for me to show a loss over the course of a month in limit, a lot of things have to go wrong for an extended period of time. It's possible but hasn't happened often to me. So why do you think people are giving up the game?

I think it's mostly just boredom. It's been a long time since I played for a reason other than making money, and a lot of people on the board were playing stakes and volume that were meaningless to their livelihoods. I just think a lot of them lost interest.

The games getting worse and the end of the poker boom have probably added to that.

I agree with you, wagon. Like you, I only play for money. I'm not there for social reasons. A lot of the people I play with at the local casinos around San Diego are total degenerates, on and off the table, so I have no interest in being friends with any of them. I'm only there for the money. Vegas, of course, is a different environment, so I am more apt to be friendly to my fellow players there. Also, there is a lot more to do in Vegas besides gamble 24/7.

I also think you're right when you refer to "the end of the poker boom." At the start, I think that a lot of people viewed the game through rose-colored glasses. "Hey, if an average guy like Moneymaker can win big money, so can I!" Then reality hits when dumb luck reveals itself to be such a huge part of the game, and they start losing one stack after another to bad beats. I think that also factors in to the "loss of interest."

I think many of your observations are right on. I too mainly play for the money.. but not to make money actually .. at least not yet.. but to show and prove that I am a "good" player.. Problem is that a lot of other players are also getting better and therefore it is much harder to make money..

I think in fact many players have finally realized just how hard it is to make money at poker and especially after the internet ban on banking and the subsequent great recession. these two combined have made the pool of players playing for "fun" much smaller and therefore increases the level of the playing pool.

I find the worst players online for sure.. but the stakes are much smaller and I do enjoy getting out of the house.. I wish I could get out of the house more socially but my knee limits this and poker fills this void. I have had to make major changes to my game to keep up but I hope that these changes will lead me to some serious money.. but again I have been hoping this for years. That said I am doing better than 95% of all players by winning even if its a small amount..

If congress ever finally realizes that poker is not the devil and allows it to be completely legalized I think there will be another mini boom as new players will test the waters that right now cant or wont find a way to deposit money online..

one can only hope...

h

I know. I doubt if I personally would play online if it were legal (and I definitely won't while it's not legal, due to the difficulty of getting money in and out), but it's ridiculous that Congress can dictate how you spend your money inside your own house.

I'm old school. I like live play in real casinos against degenerates, drunks, and morons. LOL.

see this is the problem that alot of brick and mortar casinos dont seem to get. You may start playing online but you will want to play live and especially at the wsop. Once you play live you like it for other reasons than online.. You end up playing more than you would.

I for one would have NEVER stepped foot in a live casino in LA if I had not played online first. There would be no way that I would have put myself in a situation where I might get embarrassed because I didnt know what was going on . Online helped me there. I enjoy playing live more but online has its part as well.

well hopefully well see you at the real felt one of these days..

h

Actually, in most states, internet gambling isn't illegal. And the states that have made it illegal (Washington, for instance), explicitly state that they aren't interested in charging players.

Granted, it is a bit harder to get money in and out, since certain banks can't directly do business with internet poker sites. It's not that much harder.

No surprise that many are quitting as it is virtually impossible to be a long term winner at poker unless you were born with an extraordinary, god given special lucky person gift . Poker is just like any other casino game in reality...who do you think can really win long term at the casino anyway? Except the casino.

The problem of course is the house rake or (house edge)...they take $5 or $6 dollars out of most pots for the hand played...and they play mucho hands per hour. The average cash game table plays 30 hands per hour...yes, some pots are checked down and they only take $2 or $3 or so. So lets say they drop into their box $150.00 per hour...now add dealer tips, say just $1 per pot...also if they have a bad beat jackpot( which you will never hit) another $1 per deal...You lose approx $210.00 out of the game every hour played. If you play once a week for three hours, over the time period of one year, $32,760.00 is removed from play into the building owners and dealers pockets. If you play a 10 handed game...your share of that is around $3,276.00.

My contention is that only the most gifted of persons can overcome that kind of handicap...the ordinary recreational player buying in for $200-$400 will always lose as they cannot possibly overcome the severe house edge.

Anybody is free to question my theory...most likely I am completely wrong about this subject...enlighten me if you will.

I think you're completely wrong about live poker. The players are so terrible that the rake can be overcome, but regardless, the rake online is much smaller (the play is tougher though).

i agree with you wagon, i play live all the time, which proves your point...